Cheng Yujin carefully counted it twice. Because it was just a rough glance, she was afraid that she would not remember it correctly, so she deliberately weighed it for a while. Finally, she was sure that the gold ingots did not decrease, except that there was an extra stack of land deeds.
Cheng Yujin felt a rare sense of shame for measuring the heart of a gentleman with one's own yardstick. If she let Cheng Yuanjing know what she was thinking, he would probably be so angry that he would personally take back the land deeds.
Cheng Yujin very tactfully pretended that nothing had happened and carefully looked at the land deeds.
Cheng Yujin looked at the land deeds from beginning to end and sighed in her heart. In these years, Marquis Cheng took advantage of the Crown Prince's power and accumulated a lot of wealth. Today, just the amount that Marquis Cheng gave her in one go was close to sixteen hectares of farmland, seven shops, one property, six thousand taels of silver, four boxes of paintings and gold wares, as well as an entire box of gold ingots. This was because the Crown Prince could not reveal his identity and Marquis Cheng was just borrowing his path to get a free ride. In just a few years, Marquis Cheng had accumulated so much wealth. Then how many assets did Cheng Yuanjing have under his name?
Cheng Yujin could not imagine it.
Cheng Yujin put the land deeds to the side and lit up the light. She took out the account book that she got from Marquis Cheng and seriously looked at it. She did not expect that looking at it like this, it would greatly exceed Cheng Yujin's expectations.
Marquis Cheng gave her a total of three shops. Two were in Zhengxi Lane, one was in Xuanbei Lane, and there was also a small field. Because he gave Cheng Yumo a box of gold and silver wares, one thousand taels of silver, Cheng Yujin originally thought that the value of the shops would be around two thousand taels. She did not expect that the actual situation of the shops would be much better than she imagined.
Zhengxi Lane was a bustling place. Not far from it was the six departments of the imperial court. The two shops were facing the street. One was a cloth shop and the other was a jewelry shop. Their business was good and they earned two thousand taels a year. The lapis lazuli shop in Xuanbei Lane had benefited from the official lapis lazuli factory. Apart from the management, the business was also slightly profitable.
This was much better than Cheng Yumo's inanimate objects. Although gold and silver were beautiful, if one wanted to sell them, it was inevitable that the price would be reduced. Needless to say, a thousand taels of silver in a box would not become a lot. Instead, it would gradually depreciate with the passage of time. Unless it was printed money, the total value of the money would constantly decrease.
Another important point was that these three shops were all in the capital. Even the small manor was in the suburbs. Cheng Yuan-hsien and Cheng Yuanhan each got two shops, but they were all far away in Yangzhou. Cheng Yujin did not plan to marry far away in the future. If she was really given a shop in Yangzhou, Jinling, and other places, she would not be able to get anything even if she made a lot of profits.
Cheng Yujin closed the account book and felt a kind of joy of becoming rich overnight. A family's income was roughly divided into four parts: salary, farmland, business, and gray income. With Marquis of Yichun's current status, he did not need to rely on others to show filial piety. The gray income was negative. Cheng Yuan-hsien and Cheng Yuanhan's salary was almost negligible. Although the farmland was stable, it could only produce so much in a year. It was possible to maintain stability, but it was not possible to make money quickly. Business was risky, but the returns were also great. Among them, the two shops in Zhengxi Lane in the capital had good locations and high profits. It was almost Marquis Cheng's main source of income.
Cheng Yujin roughly estimated that perhaps sixty percent of Marquis Cheng's income was in her hands. Not to mention, when she left, she was lucky enough to take away Marquis Cheng's life-saving box of gold ingots.
Over the years, for the sake of face, Princess Qingfu bought her a lot of flashy jewelry. Cheng Yujin's clothes were also changed every season. She basically could not wear her previous clothes. However, on the surface, Cheng Yujin lived a respectable life. In fact, it was like drinking water. Only people knew whether it was hot or cold. She did not have a source of income in her hands. It was also impossible for her to sell Qingfu's jewelry. In the big house, there were people everywhere. She needed to spend money to make ends meet. This caused Cheng Yujin to live a strained life. She often calculated where to spend every piece of money.
Therefore, Cheng Yujin dreamed of having her own dowry, manpower, and property. Thanks to the Cheng Family's first branch and second branch quarreling every day, Marquis Cheng finally couldn't stand it anymore. He proposed to divide the property. Cheng Yujin relied on Princess Qingfu and Cheng Yuan-hsien to fiercely show her existence in front of Marquis Cheng. She also successfully obtained her own property. Cheng Yujin roughly listed the property in her hands. She found that she had a field, three shops, cash from the public's treasury that His Highness the Crown Prince did not want, ten hectares of fertile land, a few leftover paintings and paintings, and most importantly, a box of gold. In just one night, her property exceeded ten thousand taels. She suddenly became rich.
This surprise could almost be called a disaster. Qingfu was a princess. She had a sky-high dowry. In addition, she had been in charge of the Marquis Household for many years to make money for herself. However, the money in her hands did not exceed ten thousand taels. Cheng Yujin was very sure that if other people knew how much she actually got today, her disaster would soon begin.
Unfortunately, they would not know. Cheng Yujin redistributed the things in her hands. This box of gold ingots could not be seen by others. Together with the land deed that Cheng Yuanjing gave her, it became Cheng Yujin's last resort. Normally, she would not show it. Marquis Cheng told everyone about the shop that he gave her, so there was no way to hide it. Cheng Yujin still needed to plan how to keep it in her hands. As for Marquis Cheng's box of paintings and paintings, Cheng Yujin did not care. It was just scraps. There was no harm in taking the leftovers.
Cheng Yujin carefully checked the land deed and the amount of banknotes under the light. Then, she packed them one by one. Counting money really made people happy. Cheng Yujin's mood was extremely happy now. Even if she knew that it was still a tough battle to keep these shops and money in her hands, it could not affect her good mood at all.
Tonight was a sleepless night for many people. Princess Qingfu checked the account books overnight. After checking, she could not believe it. It was not that Marquis Cheng's wealth was not rich, but it was far from what they had imagined.
They thought that Marquis Cheng had at least tens of thousands of taels of private property. But now, each of them only had five to six thousand taels of silver. The dowry mama came in with a cup of hot ginger tea. Seeing that the light in the room was still on, Qingfu sat under the light and frowned. She could not help but feel distressed: "Madam, it's late. You should rest. You have been staring at those account books all night. It hurts your eyes to be careful. "
Princess Qingfu tiredly rubbed her eyebrows. She took the cup of hot tea from the dowry mama. She opened the teacup and slowly blew on the hot steam. The dowry mama put a pillow behind Princess Qingfu's waist. She stood behind the couch and skillfully massaged Princess Qingfu's shoulders.
Princess Qingfu was also tired. She leaned back against the railing and complained: "The words in the account books are small and dense. After looking at it all night, my eyes are blurry."
The dowry mama advised: "Princess, don't tire yourself too much. Although you are the head wife of the Marquis Household, the first branch and the second branch have not separated. The money you earn for the Marquis Household will go to the public and let everyone spend it. Not to mention that you are tired, you will not be well off. If there is a slight mistake, the second branch will make sarcastic remarks. Why bother? "
"How can I not understand this principle?" Qingfu said, "You really don't know the cost of the household unless you are in charge. When I was in my maternal home, I didn't understand how complicated the housekeeping was. After coming to the Marquis of Yichun, I realized that everything is difficult. Especially when I have to take care of such a big family. My mother-in-law looks magnanimous, but in fact, she doesn't delegate power. She has to agree on all the important matters of the family. However, I have to worry about the trivial matters of daily necessities. I have to wrangle with the maidservants below. I have to satisfy the old madame and not let the second branch find fault. My position as the head wife looks impressive, but in fact, it is just chicken feathers. If it wasn't for Bao 'er, I wouldn't be willing to take care of the household. "
The dowry mama heard this and didn't say anything. Princess Qingfu's words were both right and wrong. She was the head of the household and always complained that the housekeeping was difficult and unrewarding. However, without the cash flowing like water from the Marquis Household, how could she save thousands of taels of silver and almost double her dowry? Not to mention other things, just the cloth that the Marquis Household used to make clothes every season was bought from Qingfu's own cloth shop. She was the banker and the buyer. She couldn't set the price as she wanted and buy as much as she wanted. Over the years, Qingfu had transferred a lot of money from the Marquis Household into her own hands. It was hard to calculate.
Princess Qingfu was now complaining that the housekeeping was arduous and unrewarding. If she was asked to give up the power of the housekeeping, she wouldn't do it.
The dowry mama didn't mention this and still went along with Princess Qingfu, "Madame is right. You have done too much for the Marquis Household."
After Qingfu said bad things about her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, her heart felt a lot more comfortable. She looked at the account book on the table and was still unwilling to give up. She flipped through the pages quickly. However, no matter how she looked at it, the annual profits were just that much.
Qingfu stared at the numbers on the account book and said with a frown, "Old Marquis only has this much money? I don't think so. Over the years, he bought land and bought calligraphy and painting. He spent a lot of money. What's more, he also supported two houses. Just Cheng Yuanjing's ten years of education would cost a lot of money. Not to mention that after Cheng Yuanjing took the imperial exam, Old Marquis gave him a lot of money as bribe. He can take out a few thousand taels of silver each time, but how come his annual income is not even enough for three thousand taels? "
The dowry mama reminded, "Madame, half of the property is with the second branch."
"I know. It's just that I find it strange that the second branch has less than three thousand taels of silver." Qingfu closed the account book and frowned, "Mama, do you think that Old Marquis has another business to make money and secretly gave it to others?"
If Cheng Yujin was here, she would definitely say "yes". Marquis Cheng's most profitable shops, as well as the cash accumulated over the years, were now under her name. The money wouldn't change if it was put there. After Marquis Cheng had a surplus, he bought land and exchanged it for gold to maintain his value. The gold was accidentally taken by Cheng Yujin, and the land that Marquis Cheng bought in Jinling also fell into the hands of Cheng Yujin. The cash in the account book had been exchanged in other forms. When Qingfu looked at the account book now, she felt that it was too little.
In fact, the dowry mama felt that three thousand taels of silver a year was not a small amount. It should be known that Qingfu ate and lived in the Marquis Household. She spent the Marquis Household's money on clothing, food, housing, and transportation. At the end of the year, when the land under the name of the Marquis Household sent over the income, Qingfu could also receive dividends. In this way, the money only went in, not out. No matter how much the property outside earned, it would all go into the private pocket. Now that the first branch got two shops and one land of Marquis Cheng, they could get an additional two thousand taels of silver a year, which was a lot.
What's more, these were unexpected wealth that Marquis Cheng gave to his two sons. Qingfu was not satisfied now, but it was nothing more than greed and wanting more.
When it came to money, the dowry mama couldn't express her opinion. She tentatively said, "This old servant doesn't understand. If Madame feels that there is a problem, why don't you talk to the eldest son? The eldest son walks outside all day long and has seen a lot. He will certainly understand the knack. "
When Cheng Yuan-hsien was mentioned, Qingfu sneered and slammed the table, "Him? I don't know where he is now. If I didn't have to subsidize his expenses these years, I don't know how much money I would have saved for Bao 'er. He, on the other hand, doesn't care about anything and only knows how to bring women home. He doesn't care about how much money it costs to raise so many people at home. He is also very generous to his beautiful concubines. As long as those little hoofs ask for something, he will let them ask for clothes and jewelry. Why doesn't he think about where all his money comes from! "
When Princess Qingfu talked about this, she was so angry that her liver hurt. The dowry mama quickly patted Qingfu on the back to calm her down, "Madame, don't be angry. Isn't it because of your wealth that the eldest son can have today? Who doesn't praise madame for being capable? Who doesn't envy the eldest son for marrying a golden Bodhisattva like you? "
When she heard "golden Bodhisattva", Qingfu's anger slowly subsided. She was also very proud of her ability. Qingfu said proudly, "Who told me to be unlucky to have such a master who spends money without blinking an eye? If you marry a chicken, you will follow the chicken. If you marry a dog, you will follow the dog. My husband is disappointing, so I can only worry about him behind his back. Everything I do, isn't it all for Bao 'er? "
"Madame is right. Third Young Master is in good health and lively. In the future, you will enjoy the happiness of having children and grandchildren."
The dowry mama opened her eyes wide and only focused on describing Cheng Enbao's reckless behavior as being in good health. She described his rude and unreasonable behavior as being lively and lively. Qingfu didn't feel that there was anything wrong with her son. She smiled for a while and sighed, "It's a pity that I can't give Bao 'er a brother. He is all alone. In the future, there won't be anyone to support each other."
The dowry mama reminded her, "Madame, Third Young Master still has an elder sister."
"Her?" Princess Qingfu snorted disdainfully, "They are not born from the same mother, so their hearts will be different. Maybe when her biological mother cries, she will be filial to her biological parents. If I treat her too well, it's hard to guarantee that I won't raise a mountain wolf. Not to mention the effort, in the end, I will be bitten back. "
"Madame, Eldest Young Master shouldn't be like that, right?" The dowry mama hesitated.
"She doesn't now, but who knows if she will in the future?" Qingfu said flatly. When the dowry mama heard this, she didn't say anything. Who could really get close to Princess Qingfu with this kind of idea? The dowry mama felt that it was a pity. In fact, she said that Eldest Young Master was much more reliable than Third Young Master. Cheng Yujin had already grown up. She looked like her biological mother. She was better than her biological mother. Because she was raised by Qingfu, her housekeeping skills and means of making money were not bad. Cheng Yujin could be said to have the advantages of her biological mother and adoptive mother at the same time. However, she was not narrow-minded like the Nguyễn Clan, nor was she overbearing like Qingfu. Instead, she was dignified and quiet. She knew when to advance and retreat. She would not be looked down upon by others, nor would she offend people like Qingfu.
On the contrary, Qingfu Commandery Princess's biological son was spoiled to the point that he was out of control at such a young age. He was simply a stronger version of Qingfu Commandery Princess and Cheng Yuanxian. As a member of the maternal family, even the dowry mama couldn't really like Cheng Enbao when she saw him, let alone an outsider.
One was praised by everyone and had just formed a jade embryo. The other was at a young age and one could see the signs of growing crooked. Which one was reliable? Almost everyone could tell. However, the dowry mama couldn't say these words. She could only smile with Princess Qingfu: "Madam is right."
It was late at night. Qingfu looked at the account book for the whole night. She knew that no matter how she stared at the account book, the money wouldn't change. She could only regretfully stand up and slowly move her stiff back: "I checked for the whole night. I'm exhausted. It's a pity that I worked so hard, but it was all for someone else. "
The dowry mama helped Princess Qingfu change clothes and asked: "Madam, if you feel that the number is wrong, why don't you ask Eldest Young Master tomorrow? Perhaps Eldest Young Master has a higher number. "
Princess Qingfu sneered: "How is that possible? She's a granddaughter who is going to marry out. How much can she get? Old Marquis only saw that they were going to get married. It's not good to leave things for Bao 'er and not leave them face. That's why he gave them some face. Cheng Yujin's engagement was also broken off. In the future, she can't even compare to Cheng Yumo. Cheng Yumo has a thousand taels as a trump card. Cheng Yujin may not even be able to compare to a thousand taels. "
Princess Qingfu didn't know where the three shops that Marquis Cheng gave to Cheng Yujin were, but she thought that the shops in Yangzhou didn't make more than a thousand taels a year. How could the shops that Marquis Cheng gave to his granddaughter be better than Cheng Yuan-hsien, his son? She naturally thought that they were just a few run-down shops. Marquis Cheng was afraid that it would look bad if he favored one and discriminated against the others, so he reluctantly used a few empty shelves to send people away.
The dowry mama also felt that it was reasonable. Cheng Yujin was, after all, a granddaughter. A thousand taels was the elder's kindness. The majority of Marquis Cheng's money, of course, he would leave it to his grandson. They didn't think in this direction at all. They only suspected the second branch. They suspected that the second branch was behind the scenes and swindled the majority of the business.
At this moment, in the courtyard of the second branch, the Nguyễn Clan also thought the same. She was not as good at calculating as Princess Qingfu, but she could always feel the amount of money.
The Nguyễn Clan and Cheng Yuanhan and his wife whispered in bed all night. The more they talked, the more they felt that the first branch was treacherous and shameless. They didn't know how much property they secretly took away. In fact, Marquis Cheng's share of the money was already a huge sum of money for the second branch. However, they didn't worry about the lack of money, but rather the unfairness. When they thought that they could have gotten more, they felt indignant and difficult to calm down.
This night was destined to be a sleepless night. In the first half of the night, many people were calculating under the light. From Cheng Yujin to Princess Qingfu to the Nguyễn Clan couple, they were all like this. In the second half of the night, Cheng Yujin had just fallen asleep when she was suddenly awakened by the noise outside.
The Dugeaux put on her clothes and hurriedly knocked on the railing outside the bed: "Miss, wake up, Old Marquis is dying!"
Cheng Yujin's sleepiness was completely gone. She immediately lifted the curtain and sat up: "When did this happen?"
"Just now, the people in the front yard knocked on the door to report. The lights in the other rooms also lit up."
Cheng Yujin's face suddenly sank. She didn't say anything else and immediately got up to change her clothes. The battle was so big that it couldn't be a joke. Cheng Yujin changed out of her bright clothes and put on a plain light dress. Then, she hurried to Fu Li Courtyard.
At this moment, Fu Li Courtyard was full of people. Everyone looked like they had been woken up in the middle of the night. The women didn't wear any makeup and their hair was uncombed. After all, the Nguyễn Clan had a good foundation and looked okay at the moment. However, Princess Qingfu looked very old.
Fortunately, no one cared about this at the moment. Cheng Yujin followed behind Princess Qingfu and stood in the cold dew for an hour. She saw a servant come out of the inner room with a sad face. As soon as he came out, he knelt down and cried to Old Lady Cheng: "Old Madam, Old Marquis has passed away!"
There was a burst of exclamations in the courtyard, and suddenly, there were cries everywhere. Cheng Yujin was also sad. Not long ago, she had personally received the key from Marquis Cheng. In the blink of an eye, they were separated forever. The affairs of the world were impermanent and life was short. Cheng Yujin also sighed and lowered her head.
Regardless of whether she could cry or not, she had to look like she was crying. When Cheng Yujin lowered her head, she just happened to see Cheng Yumo's pale face. He pulled the Nguyễn Clan's sleeve in panic and said something in a low voice.
The Nguyễn Clan was originally preparing to cry, but after hearing Cheng Yumo's words, her face also became ugly. Cheng Yujin's interest was immediately piqued. She quietly observed for a while and slowly understood the whole story.
Marquis Cheng had passed away. His son and daughter-in-law had to mourn for three years, and his grandchildren had to mourn for one year. During this time, they couldn't wear bright clothes and couldn't attend banquets. Naturally, they couldn't get married. Huo Changyuan was already twenty-one years old. The Huxue Clan had long been anxious to marry Huo Changyuan. Cheng Yumo now had to mourn for a year. What about her marriage with Huo Changyuan?
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